What is to be done
by kroddey
Summary: Epilogue


17

Kyle Roddey

Epilogue

Chapter One

Ah ha! Once again you slow-witted readers have been tricked by me! I began my work by insulting you and challenging you; after all these pages I insult you once again! You perspicacious reader, thinking I would end my work with Chapter Six. I began my work with a middle, yes, but will I end it with a beginning? No.

The past chapter gives the reader no closure; it makes no sense. Yet the reader chooses not to object, even when I predicted future events.

"The reason I did not object is because I understood!" says the reader, "you were using art to convey your premonition of the future!"

"No I was not, and my opinion of you is now officially less than when I began!" I respond.

I was clear when I conveyed at the onset of this work that I have no need for art. I also said that I have no need for mysteries. Why would I then choose to simply end my work with an art filled mystery? You, poor reader, are not advanced enough to be left hanging in this fashion. You would not be able to deal with it; lesser mines cannot handle anxiety of this sort. It would be cruel of me to leave you with an ending that begins a tale you do not know.

"I knew all along that it was not truly the end after Chapter Six" claims the male reader.

"I was hoping it was the end" says the female reader, who would have been more able to deal with such a nonsensical and mystical ending.

Mosolov, the lady in mourning, and Nikitin have not been introduced merely to fade into obscurity. Why give merely to take? The time after the events of 1865 needs its cast.

This next chapter is not for my friends out there whom I respect. It is not for the strong and honest people who understand me and were able to see through me throughout this book. This chapter is introduced to help others see the true nature of those "advanced" people in my work and the real consequences of their philosophy in action. I write this not to thank those who I respect and write for, but to help those I do not respect join the latter's category.

Chapter Two

"I can't wait for the biscuits!" says Katya as she gets up from her bed. Even as an aged woman, Katya still gets excited for her biscuits. She is seventy-five now but is never late for breakfast, ever.

She dresses and walks down the long hallway. As she walks down the hallway the others are leaving their individual rooms and walking down as well.

"Biscuit day is my favorite!" a young boy exclaims as he opens his door to leave his room.

Katerina looks into the boy's room as she walks past it. It is perfectly in order: no clothes on the floor, no garbage, bed made nicely. Before 1865 one never would have seen a young boy's bedroom so immaculate. What is even more amazing to Katya is that the boy, just like all other boys, has no mother or governess living with him to make him keep his environmental affairs in order. After leaving the training school at age five, like all other boys, he was given his own room and told it was his responsibility to keep it in order. At first the boys took advantage of this new freedom and their domiciles quickly became pig sties. After a few weeks (one week for some, up to five for others) the boys quickly learned that it was to their advantage to keep their room in order and to prevent any disarray. Thereafter he would keep his room clean and in order.

After the first realization by the boy he would no longer keep his toys and other playthings scattered around his room. Balls would be kept in a box that would be out of the way and organized. It was to their advantage, each boy discovered, to keep the toys sorted by shape and color. This allowed them to find each ball and other play-things much faster than if they were haphazardly thrown into the box. This period would last between four to twelve weeks, depending on the boy, until the next realization was made. The boys were given the opportunity to play games as often as they would like, however, after a few weeks of this each boy would realize it was not to their advantage to play games anymore. Nikitin's son, Dimitry, explained the reason for this to his father quite eloquently.

"Father, I have decided to get rid of my play things all together!"

"But why, Mitya?" Nikitin responded (he already knew why, but he also knew it was important that his son be given the freedom to reach this conclusion on his own).

"Why should I play a game when I could be doing other things instead? A game begins and ends and nothing changes. I learn nothing! I gain nothing! It is not to my advantage to throw my ball or play, instead from now on I will work and learn and make myself strong!"

And so it went with every child. They would relinquish their play things (sporting games for boys and dolls for girls) in order to act more towards their own advantage. Each person would reach this decision on their own because it was known that absolute freedom is a necessity. No children older than the age of nine played games or threw balls; it simply was not to their advantage to do so.

After reflecting on the ingenuity and perfection of this process, Katerina Vasilievna reached the Great Meal Hall. It is a room greater than any room even dreamed of before 1865. Prior to the events that led to this new way of life, no one could have imagined a room of that colossal size. At this time though, it was common place to see great halls of this magnitude. And why shouldn't it be? For all the people in the Crystal Palace to eat together a Great Meal Hall was clearly essential. It had not always been though thought so; at first the Palace contained four or five different smaller rooms for eating. Then it was realized that it was to everyone's advantage to all eat together. This allowed complete freedom to sit with whoever one wished to sit with.

At first some, including Mosolov, claimed that the construction of an all-encompassing Meal Hall was not necessary. If an individual was sitting in one room and wished to go eat in another during a meal, he could simply get up and go, Mosolov and others claimed. This was not to a person's advantage, however, because they would not know exactly who was in each different room. If they had to find someone in particular to discourse with, they might go into two wrong rooms before finding them in the right one.

Thus, the Great Meal Hall was constructed. It was decided that everyone would take turns acting as cooks for everyone else. Each day a different seventh of the population would cook. At first great feasts were prepared: huge variations of food were prepared and served all at once. There would be three different meats, five different vegetables, 4four different soups, and even more than one type of tea with each meal. This was done in order to keep people interested and to allow people to try new things. Like a master painting, every color was represented. With time, however, this practice changed and meals became more synchronized.

The population realized that it was not advantageous for them to keep trying new recipes and preparing new foods. This was because some people were bound not to enjoy the new things they prepared (any reader can remember a time when a good friend prepared a new dish for the first time and it was found to be dreadful!). They did not know who would like a new item added to the menu for a meal; in some extreme cases a new dish caused one person to become ill. It was also realized by the people that if they prepared the same meals over and over again they would come to perfect them. It was agreed upon by all that perfecting a meal was to everyone's advantage. Shortly after these two realizations it was decided that the menu would remain stagnant from there on out. This would remove the possibility of someone trying something new and disliking it, and also allow the dishes that were served to be perfected. The menu was voted on by the entire population until a basic menu was agreed upon and formed.

At first this new menu was based on a three meal a day, seven day cycle. This entailed twenty one different meals to be prepared, each of which required different ingredients. Those who were put in charge of food collection farmed whatever was needed. Beaumont helped them plan out a more effective method of farming he had learned of from a freed slave while in America. As time progressed the people began to understand how little advantage was gained by them in preparing all these different types of ingredients for meals. It was decided that the menu would be greatly diminished to allow for _greater_ amounts of _less_ crops to be grown.

Eventually, grain, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage were the only crops grown and cows the only animal raised. This was very advantageous because it allowed them to hone their skills in the cultivation of those. It also allowed them to buy seeds and raise calves in much large numbers (and as every reader knows, the larger the amount bought, the less the cost per unit). Just like the workers in Verochka's shop, they bought everything in great bulk because it was to their advantage.

The final menu consisted of three different dinners and three different morning meals. A Russian of the 1850s may have gotten bored with this mundane menu quite quickly, but those inside the Crystal Palace knew that it was worth it because it was to their ultimate advantage.

Katerina takes her biscuits from the front of the room and sits down at one of the many long tables. She looks at her biscuits with delight.

"Is she delighted because she enjoys the biscuits, or delighted because of the overall advantage gained from eating them so often" the reader may ask. "How can one be happy eating the same thing again and again for years? What is her delight derived from?"

Her reply to the reader would be that it is to her own advantage to be delighted with the biscuits because they are being served anyway. Why should she waste her time thinking about other foods out there and what new things might taste like? That would clearly not be to her own advantage.

Chapter Three

The Lady In Mourning (though no longer in mourning) leaves the operating room after completing a successful surgery. It was her week to serve as the Palace's doctor (everyone in the Palace was an expert physician. It was necessary that all be so, in order to maintain equality between all). She was old, Katya's age, but she was still skilled enough to perform with expertise.

She walked out of the operating room feeling happy that everything had gone according to plan (even though it almost always did) and headed to her room to rest. On the way she stopped by the room of a man who, once in a carriage years ago, sat next to her and looked about thirty. They were married and in love. They lived in different rooms from each other now, even though, for a few years after 1865 they shared a quarters. This was until it was decided by general consensus that it was to each person's own advantage to have their own room and full privacy. This was because privacy and having one's own space went hand in hand with having complete freedom and equality. Sharing a room with a loved one was too complicated and often ended in a lack of respect for one or the other, and at other times resulted in a power struggle between the two. This system (as first put into place by Vera and the late Lopukhov ) proved to be perfect for all Russians within the Palace. It also allowed one to see friends or lovers only if both parties agreed; a husband never saw his wife without makeup or undressed, and a wife never saw her husband unshaven. Why should one see their loved one in a state unbecoming to them? Lovers should look just as good for each other as they do for strangers, it was decided.

After he gave her permission to enter, she came in and sat down on his bed.

They exchanged embraces and relayed accounts of each other's day. She talked about her surgery's success and he discussed his work teaching in the training school. He also related an anecdote about his journey home after work.

"As I left the training school I decided to go for a walk through the woods to collect some scientific data (as was one of the main uses of free-time) and I saw something I have not seen in at least twenty years. A man was standing there in the middle of the woods with a canvas and paint set up in front of him. I thought it was a mirage at first, but when I approached I saw that it was the real thing. It was a man no more than ten years younger than I. He was painting a crow sitting on top of a branch. At first I thought he was just an extremely overzealous naturalist, who instead of drawing a mere sketch of a specimen was painting it to obtain more details. However, after questioning the peculiar man I found out that he was merely painting the crow because it 'looked nice perching on the branch.' I was dumbfounded!

"It had been years since I had met a man who was painting merely for art's sake. I immediately questioned him and tried to persuade him to give up his pointless endeavor. 'Don't you see that this activity gives no advantage to you' I exclaimed to him. 'There are many other things you can do to become stronger, or more learned, or to help others! Why waste your time with this primitive pastime? Surely you see that this is not to your advantage. You will leave this spot with a finished painting that gives you not one bit more advantage in any part of life'

"He replied by telling me some absurdity along the lines of he found it beautiful and wanted to try to capture that beauty. Just think dearest, a man in this era trying to capture beauty! Pointless! I began to relate to him how we reached the great precipice that we now stand on. I told him how after 1865 there was much celebration over the changes and the new order that had been established. I related how in the Palace there used to be dancing and singing every evening of every day. Then I explained how with time we began to replace these leisurely activities with productive ones: ones that would be to our own advantage. 'Strength! Knowledge! Science! Altruism!' I shouted at him. I explained how dancing and other arts were no longer practiced by anyone because nothing is gained by them.

"I lectured him and gave him the history of the choir that once sang boldly each night, until it was deemed not advantageous to spend ones time singing when one could learn more about medicine, develop better farming techniques, or strengthen one's body to work harder. I spoke and spoke until I could speak no more. I wanted to help this man act to man's true vocation: his own advantage!

"This entire time I went on and on, the man did not interrupt me once. He did not ignore me either. He merely went back and forth from looking at me and looking at the crow and continued painting. Finally, when I finished and grew silent he looked at me and said 'My painting is finished' he smiled, and continued 'I know that I could spend my time doing other things that would be more advantageous in some sense. I could learn more, or help others more, and I see nothing wrong with those things. In fact tonight when return to my room I will finish reading a book on biology. I practice altruism at other times as well. But the fact of the matter is there is something inside me that I can't control that compels me to paint. It forces me to appreciate beauty and makes me want to create it! I can't live like the other residents of his Crystal Palace live! Between you and I friend, at night when everyone is asleep, I walk down the long hallway and go to my wife's room. Then, I open her door and look at her. Not long, just a moment, that's all I need. She doesn't know, but then I see her with no makeup on, just as she is. I am able to see her as her! I do not do this in any perverse manner, no, I do it because I love her and I find beauty in her stillness and imperfection. I enjoy seeing her as strangers do not; those strangers do not love her as I do. My love is not based on only compatibility and seeing her in proper form. I love her because something inside of me that I cannot explain makes me love her! Just the same, it gives me no advantage by painting this bird, but it makes me feel like I can touch the beauty in the world which is truly untouchable. The everyman in our Palace looks at beauty and says it has no advantage to me; there is no point in trying to attain it and understand it. I look at beauty, knowing at has no advantage to me, and I _must_ touch it!'

"I have never felt such pity for a man in this new world of ours as I did for this man" continued the aging teacher, "he is possibly the last irrational man in a rational and perfect world. He is a grey fish alone in a school of silver ones. I would think the ocean be very lonely for a fish of his kind."

After this the old couple talked for a little while longer, remarking on how they were anxious for tomorrow's breakfast. Secretly neither of them could recall what it was but they were still happy for it to approach. Regardless of what it was, it was so advantageous!

Explanation

I chose to continue the story after the last chapter of What is to be Done by Chernyshevski. I did this because, though this was the last chapter of the work, it could also be read and interpreted as a beginning. The way this last scene ended gave me a lot of leverage concerning what would take place in what I wrote. Because Chapter Six takes place in a carriage with no real plot developing I had complete freedom choosing where I would take these new characters. The only real idea produced in this chapter was that some grand events, seemingly a revolution, take place in 1865. It was because of this I decided I would write about a scene taken from this post-revolutionary time.

The main point of my new ending was to show the flaws that would ultimately ensue from basing a way of life solely on advantage. I feel that it is absurd to base life only on what is most advantageous. This is a theme prevalent throughout the work and previously the author used his "Advanced" characters like Lupokov to demonstrate the correctness of living this way. I took the Crystal Palace from Vera's forth dream and made that the center of this new post 1865 revolutionary world. At this point in time everything is perfectly planned out according to what is the best advantage for all. This world is devoid of games, music, or art. Instead of boys playing games, after a certain age they only study and do other things that are ultimately advantageous to them. After a certain age girls cast away their dolls and replace them with more advantageous activities like learning the art of medicine.

This new ending shows the progression from Vera's dream, where there is constant song and dance, to a period of neo-advantage-driven life. In Vera's dream there is music in the halls of the Palace but in this new period it has been decided that music and art give one no real advantage. Nature is not viewed for its beauty, but instead it is thought to be there only to study.

Even food has been decided from an ultra advantage standpoint. The menu is comprised of only a few things because it is advantageous to buy these things in great bulk and to perfect the cultivation of these few things. There is no need, in this time, to learn new recipes or try new meals. The current ones give one all the nutrition needed; it is not advantageous to cook new dishes, to do so would be a waste of time.

Another issue mocked in this new ending is the living arrangement of Lupokov and Vera. In the novel each person lives in their own room and cannot enter the other person's room without permission. For people that are in love, I feel, this is absurd. The idea that you should never see someone you love look less than perfect is ridiculous. To explain this point I introduced the old painter who opens his sleeping wife's door at night to catch a glimpse of her in her true and unadulterated form. He explains that he loves her, so he enjoys seeing her this way. He is the voice of the irrational man and is the only real believable character in this ending because he does not copulate to the rational Palace which he resides in. He is there to attest to the fact that love is not something that can be based on advantage and rational thinking. He is irrational and passionate, just like love.

I wanted to maintain the author's tone when writing my new ending. He does not use excessive descriptions or embellishments because he has no need for art within his work; I am by no means a great writer so I found it easiest for me to maintain this simple approach. His style relies heavily on dialogue as a means to convey his ideas. I used this approach as well because the characters in the work are better intermediaries of ideas than the narrator. Giving the Old Painter the voice of irrationality and passion gives the idea more depth than if the unnamed and faceless narrator was given the same job. Chernyshevski also has a habit of often directly addressing, and at times being in direct discourse with the reader. This style helps keep the readers attention and it makes the reader more involved in the work. I did not want to change the author's style because it seemed conducive to the goals of the work. I began by directly addressing and insulting the audience just as he did at the beginning of the novel. I also began my work this way in order to remind the reader that the author feels they are unintelligent in order to challenge them. The reader is forced to now look at what they have previously believed was to be understood from this novel in a different light. Earlier the reader would have thought "This advantage driven life is the ideal way to live in the view of the author." And indeed, before this last chapter that is what the work would have meant. However, after this chapter the entire idea of the benefits of advantage is turned upside down. Now living by advantage is seen as being boring, unfeeling, and as a way of life not conducive to living in itself. This changes the implications of the entire novel and treats the earlier assertions of the main characters in a demeaning way. The main point of this new section is that there are aspects of life that can not be understood in terms of advantage alone and that passion and irrationality can sometimes be virtues.

One theme developed by the author is in the equality of men and woman. At times, Chernyshevsky even places woman above man in terms of intelligence and in the first chapter of this epilogue I have done the same. In this time the idea that men and woman are equal is agreed with; this is demonstrated by the lady in mourning being a skilled physician.

This new ending to the novel defies the novels previous doctrine that one should act only to ones own advantage. This is because this doctrine does not take into account passion, beauty, and other factors that are so integral to real life and love. Though some of Chernyshevski's ideas about advantage make sense in some aspects, his perfect way of living would only fit robots, not living, breathing, human beings. This new chapter mocks the ideals preached earlier in the book and treats the previous thoughts as the author being sarcastic for over four hundred pages. The earlier text can no longer be viewed as outlaying his philosophy but instead as portraying the people who are out of touch with their real emotions and the world around them.


End file.
